Gotta share this incredible story about the bedbug. Freakin' brilliant writing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/science/31bedbug.html
Turns out little is known about our biting, pestilential friends. Except their mating habits, which you will find described in my book, A Tiger in the Bedroom: Lessons from Mother Nature's Sex Shop.
Read and enjoy.
01 September 2010
22 August 2010
It's a Salamander! It's a Plant! It's Super!
egg photo by TED LEVIN/photolibrary.com; spotted salamander photo from California Academy of Sciences
Just when you think nature can't get any weirder, we find that certain salamanders are practically plants. I exaggerate, but only a bit. Scientists have known for more than 100 years that the eggs of the spotted salamander contain algae that do photosynthesis. They make the eggs look bright green; viridescence, they call it. (Awesome Word of the Day)
Photosynthesis, for those of you who didn't pay such close attention in biology class, is the process through which plants combine energy from the sun with carbon dioxide and water to produce oxygen and sugars. Plants don't have a monopoly on photosynthesis--algae do it and so do some marine organisms. That's why they're also viridescent.
The one-celled, photosynthetic algae live inside the salamander eggs and use the baby salamander's carbon dioxide to produce oxygen. The algae also consume the salamander's "nitrogen-rich waste" (scientists have such nice ways of saying 'poo'). It's a symbiotic relationship--a very cool relationship that benefits both parties quite nicely. The algae is called Oophila amblystomatis, which means "salamander egg lover."
Now scientists have figured out that the algae actually live inside the salamander, not just inside the egg, and they stick around after the salamander is born. Cells all over the salamander contain salamander-loving algae. Maybe that's why salamanders always look like they're smiling.
As for how the algae gets in the salamander in the first place, nobody is sure. But the most likely way is that it is a gift from mom. Maybe that's why they are always smiling.
13 August 2010
Cute Cephalopods
http://www.urlesque.com/2010/08/09/cutest-octopus-squid-cephalopods/
Freakin' cute! But then, those of us who love cephalopods already knew that. Here's a sample for the rest of you so you, too, can fall in love with many-armed creatures.
The ones in "Can you say octophant?" and "Check out the shoes" are called the dumbo octopuses. Seriously. Who says scientists don't have a sense of humor? There are 14 species of dumbo octopuses so far. All of them live in the deep ocean and use their "ears" (actually fins) to swim.
(Why "octopuses" not "octopi"? Octopuses is the correct form of octopus when referring to multiple species. Octopi, or octopodes, refers to multiple individuals of the same species. Yeah, I know. Confusing.)
Other octopuses crawl and walk with their legs, but the most popular way for cephalopods to get around is by jet propulsion. They fill their body with water, then squeeze the water out through a tube called a funnel, and shoot away like a rocket. Cool, huh?
Thanks to my good friend Steve Tuttle for sending the link.
Freakin' cute! But then, those of us who love cephalopods already knew that. Here's a sample for the rest of you so you, too, can fall in love with many-armed creatures.
The ones in "Can you say octophant?" and "Check out the shoes" are called the dumbo octopuses. Seriously. Who says scientists don't have a sense of humor? There are 14 species of dumbo octopuses so far. All of them live in the deep ocean and use their "ears" (actually fins) to swim.
(Why "octopuses" not "octopi"? Octopuses is the correct form of octopus when referring to multiple species. Octopi, or octopodes, refers to multiple individuals of the same species. Yeah, I know. Confusing.)
Other octopuses crawl and walk with their legs, but the most popular way for cephalopods to get around is by jet propulsion. They fill their body with water, then squeeze the water out through a tube called a funnel, and shoot away like a rocket. Cool, huh?
Thanks to my good friend Steve Tuttle for sending the link.
14 March 2010
Smog Update
Thanks to my dad for forwarding this great site from NASA. This page shows an image of earth focusing on smog and soot. Look in the upper right portion of the image. The black spots are large Chinese cities. Wow.
19 February 2010
Smog Can Protect Us?
There's an article in Nature this week that is sure to be misused and abused. The headline "Asian pollution delays inevitable warming" is a a bold, but doomed, effort to thwart the inevitable. The study is just too easy to misunderstand.
The story (which describes a study published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics) says that new power plants in China and India emit so much soot and nasty chemicals that they form a reflective layer around the area. Instead of warming because of the extra carbon dioxide from the power plants, the area cools because the haze reflects so much sunlight back into the atmosphere. Got that? They produce a smog layer so thick it blocks out enough sun to cool the earth below, like a giant silver umbrella. Sounds great, doesn't it? Let's repeal all those bothersome air quality laws, let the power plants produce all the soot they want, and global warming will come to an end!
That is how some people will undoubtedly spin it, and you can hardly blame them. Imagine if car manufacturers, power plants, buses and semis, and big factories didn't have to worry about clean air. They'd make tons more money.
However, for those of us who breathe air, it's not such a great option. That silver umbrella is smog like we had in the 1970s in Los Angeles. Actually, worse. This is nasty, awful, wear-a-gas-mask smog. This is smog alert, burning lungs, stinging eyes, the air tastes like cigarette smoke smog. This is wow-I-didn't-know-there-were-mountains-there smog. As one who grew up in Los Angeles in the 1970s, I can attest this is not fun stuff.
But along with smog, this silver umbrella also brings acid rain! So while you're gasping for breath, you can watch a nation's statues and stone buildings slowly melt and the paint peel off your car.
Of course, the haze and cooling just happens where the power plants are. CO2 doesn't respect borders, so the rest of the planet just keeps getting hotter while the folks shaded by haze stay a little bit cooler.
The best part of all is that within a few decades, the power plants have produced so much carbon dioxide that the silver umbrella won't keep things cooler anymore. So within 40 years or so you'll have smog, acid rain, AND warming. Which is probably why the editors included the phrase "inevitable warming" in the headline. The way to a cooler world is not covered in silver umbrellas.
The story (which describes a study published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics) says that new power plants in China and India emit so much soot and nasty chemicals that they form a reflective layer around the area. Instead of warming because of the extra carbon dioxide from the power plants, the area cools because the haze reflects so much sunlight back into the atmosphere. Got that? They produce a smog layer so thick it blocks out enough sun to cool the earth below, like a giant silver umbrella. Sounds great, doesn't it? Let's repeal all those bothersome air quality laws, let the power plants produce all the soot they want, and global warming will come to an end!
That is how some people will undoubtedly spin it, and you can hardly blame them. Imagine if car manufacturers, power plants, buses and semis, and big factories didn't have to worry about clean air. They'd make tons more money.
However, for those of us who breathe air, it's not such a great option. That silver umbrella is smog like we had in the 1970s in Los Angeles. Actually, worse. This is nasty, awful, wear-a-gas-mask smog. This is smog alert, burning lungs, stinging eyes, the air tastes like cigarette smoke smog. This is wow-I-didn't-know-there-were-mountains-there smog. As one who grew up in Los Angeles in the 1970s, I can attest this is not fun stuff.
But along with smog, this silver umbrella also brings acid rain! So while you're gasping for breath, you can watch a nation's statues and stone buildings slowly melt and the paint peel off your car.
Of course, the haze and cooling just happens where the power plants are. CO2 doesn't respect borders, so the rest of the planet just keeps getting hotter while the folks shaded by haze stay a little bit cooler.
The best part of all is that within a few decades, the power plants have produced so much carbon dioxide that the silver umbrella won't keep things cooler anymore. So within 40 years or so you'll have smog, acid rain, AND warming. Which is probably why the editors included the phrase "inevitable warming" in the headline. The way to a cooler world is not covered in silver umbrellas.
18 February 2010
Hail the Blob Fish!
Sometimes you just have to admit that someone else said it better. This is a great story about a fish that can't possibly be real. But it is.
Which brings me to another subject: how can you tell if something is actually, really real? The short answer is: reliable source. If you saw something unbelievable on somebody's personal web site, view it with skepticism. Figure out where they got the info and go to that site. Fortunately for me, the story about the blobfish was on the Los Angeles Times Web site (normally a realiable source), and they said the photo came from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A quick trip to the NOAA.gov Web site and I found the real deal.
But confirmations are not always so easy, so...
Government Web sites--reliable
Political party Web sites--get further confirmation
Wikipedia--usually good for sciencey stuff (oddly enough). For people and current events, run away fast!
Blogs--suspicious
Blogs by fabulous incredibly intelligent people you know--obviously reliable
Newspapers--usually reliable, however if something sounds really crazy, check elsewhere. Even reporters make mistakes
Anonymous e-mails--Honestly! Are you going to fall for that c*&p? Have I taught you nothing?
Which brings me to another subject: how can you tell if something is actually, really real? The short answer is: reliable source. If you saw something unbelievable on somebody's personal web site, view it with skepticism. Figure out where they got the info and go to that site. Fortunately for me, the story about the blobfish was on the Los Angeles Times Web site (normally a realiable source), and they said the photo came from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A quick trip to the NOAA.gov Web site and I found the real deal.
But confirmations are not always so easy, so...
Government Web sites--reliable
Political party Web sites--get further confirmation
Wikipedia--usually good for sciencey stuff (oddly enough). For people and current events, run away fast!
Blogs--suspicious
Blogs by fabulous incredibly intelligent people you know--obviously reliable
Newspapers--usually reliable, however if something sounds really crazy, check elsewhere. Even reporters make mistakes
Anonymous e-mails--Honestly! Are you going to fall for that c*&p? Have I taught you nothing?
06 February 2010
Help Me Collect Bugs!
I'm taking entomology this semester, and we have to make a bug box with specimens representing 75 different insect orders. That's a lotta bugs. The professor actually encouraged us to get friends and family in other places to collect bugs for us. If any of us gets something the college doesn't have in its bug collection, they might want to add it to the permanent collection. (Cool, huh?)
So if you are brave enough to catch bugs I would love it if you would save them for me. I need anything with six legs--adults (beetles, butterflies, flies, bugs, cockroaches, dragonflies...) or larvae (mealworms, grubs, caterpillars...). Put adults in a tupperware and pop them in the freezer. They die a quick and rather humane death. Larvae do better if you can put them in alcohol, as the freezer is tough on their squishy tissues.
Include with your insects a description of where you found it (be as specific as possible), when, and your name. Don't worry about trying to identify it. That's my job.
I have until the first week of May to get this baby finished, so there is time for those of you in colder climes to wait for insects to emerge. Thanks very much.
K
So if you are brave enough to catch bugs I would love it if you would save them for me. I need anything with six legs--adults (beetles, butterflies, flies, bugs, cockroaches, dragonflies...) or larvae (mealworms, grubs, caterpillars...). Put adults in a tupperware and pop them in the freezer. They die a quick and rather humane death. Larvae do better if you can put them in alcohol, as the freezer is tough on their squishy tissues.
Include with your insects a description of where you found it (be as specific as possible), when, and your name. Don't worry about trying to identify it. That's my job.
I have until the first week of May to get this baby finished, so there is time for those of you in colder climes to wait for insects to emerge. Thanks very much.
K
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